The invention relates to an apparatus for preparing and distributing to the public of fresh fermented dairy products. Among these products the most widely made and sold is yogurt, but the apparatus can also be used to make like products, such as fresh curds, cottage cheese, fresh junket and the like as well as being adaptable for pasteurization of cream and ice cream bases. For the sake of simplicity, in the following description the product referred to will be yogurt.
The apparatus according to the invention is designed to be used and located especially in establishments specialised in the sale of the above fresh products and can be integrated into traditional retail places such as bars, restaurants, ice cream parlours and pastry shops. The apparatus can also be used where there is a distribution of the fresh products as an alternative to packed products, for example in hospitals, hotels, holiday villages, sports centres, supermarkets, health and dietary centres and so on.
One advantage offered by the present invention is that the apparatus eliminates the need for special "laboratories" for the preparation, conservation and distribution of the product and indeed the apparatus can be blended into the establishment's furnishing.
The preparation of yogurt commonly envisages the following phases.
A fortification process causes the evaporation of part of the water contained in the milk in order to render the final product more consistent.
A high-pressure and high-temperature homogenisation phase follows, in order to have a product in which the fats are uniformly distributed to make them more easily digestible.
Then follows a pasteurization phase which has the aim of eliminating any pathogenic microorganisms which might prevent the perfect activation of the enzymes. Pasteurization is performed by heating the milk to 92 degrees C. for several minutes.
A culture phase follows the pasteurization, cooling rapidly down to about 43 degrees C. and mixing about 1 percent of culture into the milk, the culture being formed by Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococco termophilus.
In the culture maturation phase the product is slowly mixed for some minutes in order to avoid the advent of lumps and keeping the structure unaltered and homogeneous. The temperature is constantly maintained at 43 degrees Celsius for at least 6-7 hours according to the density and the acidity desired for the product.
After the last process, the coagulation is broken up by activating the anchor/stirrer at a low rate of revolutions.
The maintenance phase consists in a rapid cooling to 4-5 degrees Celsius to arrest fermentation. At this point the yogurt is ready to be served and consumed, and can be blended with many and varied ingredients, such as fresh fruit, berries, cereals, coffee and the like, or it can be used as a sauce for other dishes. It is important that the product does not undergo sudden changes in temperature, that it is kept at the most between 43-45 degrees Celsius and at least between 4.5 degrees Celsius so that the live lactic microorganisms do not die.
An essential advantage of the present invention is that the product is served fresh, that is immediately or just a few hours after its has been prepared.
It is a well-known fact that lactic flora decays progressively starting after the final phase of maturation and maintenance, and in order to have a product at its best, this deterioration must be reduced to a minimum.
Differently to industrial yogurts, which from the moment of packing to consumation undergo a large number of temperature changes and time-lapses, to the detriment of both taste and health-giving qualities of the product, the present invention offers a yogurt at its best both in terms of nutrition and at its most depurative.